UP election 2017: Fielding namesakes, a tested strategy, had given Mulayam nightmares

Lucknow: A 'Mulayam Singh Yadav' emerges each election season in Uttar Pradesh and once even forced 'Netaji' to suffix his father's name to assert his real electoral identity.

The SP patron is not in the fray this time and hopefully his namesakes may also be taking a break from elections. But this was not so in the past when the namesakes sought to give a headache to the Samajwadi Party leader.

It was in 1989, when for the first time Mulayam was compelled to suffix his father's name (Sughar Singh) to assert his "real electoral" identity, when his namesake challenged him from Jaswantnagar Assembly constituency — the bastion of Yadav family.

The situation continued in the assembly elections of 1991 and 1993 as well.

File image of former SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav. PTI

Mulayam became MLA for the first time in 1967 (on SSP ticket), and had been MLA for eight terms. According to the Election Commission data, in 1989, Mulayam Singh Yadav s/o Sughar Singh was fielded by Janta Dal.

He faced challenge from Mulayam Singh Yadav s/o Pattiram, an independent candidate. Mulayam bagged 65,597 votes (59.26 pc), while his namesake could get only 1,032 votes (0.93 per cent). The situation continued in 1991 as well.

Mulayam, contesting on Janata Party symbol, won from Jaswantnagar securing 47,765 votes (45.96 per cent), while his namesake could muster only 328 votes. This election also saw emergence of another Mulayam Singh, again an independent candidate, in Barauli Assembly constituency. Be could get only 218 votes (0.25 pc).

In the 1993 UP assembly elections, Mulayam contested from three assembly constituencies — Jaswantnagar (Etawah), Shikohabad (Firozabad) and Nidhauli Kalan (Etah) — and won all on Samajwadi Party ticket.

By this time, the Samajwadi Party was formed, and elections were held after the Ram Mandir agitation. However, 'Netaji' as Mulayam is fondly known among his supporters, had to face challenge from his namesakes in each of the three assembly seats.

During the 1985 Assembly elections, Mulayam won on Lok Dal ticket from Jaswantnagar, while his namesake was in the poll fray from Auraiya. The namesake bagged only 292 votes Mulayam Singh Yadav could not win 1980 Assembly election from Jaswantnagar, while contesting on Janata Party (Secular) led by Chaudhary Charan Singh. However, his namesake (Mulayam Singh) fought on Indian National Congress (U) ticket from Bharthana, and could get 2,367 votes.